Sunken Engine

About

Sunken Engine is a single player management game with horror, mystery, thriller and business themes. It was developed by Two Nomads Studio and was released on October 16, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Sunken Engine is a Lovecraftian Ship Repair Simulator. Restore the old shipyard you inherited from your father. Every arriving ship carries a dark mystery waiting to be uncovered. While keeping your customers happy, you must also deal with the strange and eerie events happening on the island.

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81%

Audience ScoreBased on 285 reviews

story24 positive mentions

stability8 negative mentions

Engaging and addictive gameplay loop involving cleaning, repairing ships, fishing, and selling goods.
Strong Lovecraftian atmosphere and story that blend horror and simulation effectively.
Developers are responsive and actively improving the game during early access.

Frequent bugs and technical issues including glitches, clipping, UI problems, and occasional soft locks.
Incomplete story with limited progression and repetitive tasks leading to grindiness.
Use of AI-generated art without clear disclosure, causing dissatisfaction among some players.

story
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
71%
5%
The story in the game is generally praised for its intriguing Lovecraftian atmosphere and compelling narrative, which effectively blends horror and simulation elements. However, many reviews note that the story is currently incomplete, with pacing sometimes feeling rushed, and some content locked behind grinding or RNG, limiting progression. Despite early access limitations, players are excited for future updates to see the story fully developed and expanded.
- “The story progressed in a way I didn’t expect, which made it even more engaging.”
- “The story is captivating, there is plenty to do that can keep you busy for hours and that's while it's still in early access.”
- “The art style is excellent and the story line/play strikes a good balance between mystery, horror, and simulation.”
- “The story and pacing feel rushed; things progress too quickly and the 'spooky' elements are badly implemented.”
- “The game is unfinished in terms of story; the full story has not been completed or implemented yet.”
- “Essentially, the game is fun initially but becomes a grindy slog with repetitive minigames, and the story is incomplete with major updates likely months or years away.”
gameplay
87 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
54%
5%
The gameplay offers a solid, satisfying loop centered on ship repair, fishing, and market management, enriched by a Lovecraftian atmosphere and sanity mechanics that add tension and immersion. While some mechanics can feel clunky or underdeveloped and the early access state brings bugs and unfinished features, the core experience is engaging, progressively introduces new challenges, and blends task-based simulation with horror elements effectively. Players appreciate the addictive, rhythmic gameplay combined with an eerie ambiance, making it a promising and fun experience despite some rough edges.
- “The gameplay loop is just variable enough to not be redundant while still scratching the itch of many good task-based simulation games.”
- “The mysteries, gameplay mechanics, and the way the upgrades keep things from feeling repetitive really pulled me in.”
- “The gameplay loop has a rhythmic charm—clean, fix, upgrade, repeat—but it is never allowed to become too comfortable.”
- “As the game goes on, it felt like there were fewer and fewer scares and thus fewer causes for my sanity to drain (which is not good when you offer an upgrade that helps sanity last longer, meaning pipe usage goes down—one of the core gameplay mechanics). The late-night visits from possessed ships never varied in flavor.”
- “Loads of bugs and very limited story and gameplay progression—way too early even for early access, plays more like a demo.”
- “Mechanics are clunky, story is very minimal, and most upgrades seem pointless.”
graphics
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
45%
9%
The game features a unique, consistent art style that effectively complements its spooky, maritime horror atmosphere, creating strong immersion. While some find the graphics simple or occasionally unpolished, most praise the visual and audio design for enriching the overall experience. Overall, the graphics are well-received for their distinct aesthetic and cohesive integration with the game's theme.
- “The art style is excellent and the storyline/play strikes a good balance between mystery, horror, and simulation.”
- “Visually, the game embraces a gritty realism that perfectly complements its maritime horror aesthetic.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the soundtrack fits perfectly, and the atmosphere kept me completely immersed.”
- “The graphics are so bad and unpolished it feels like playing a student project from 1990.”
- “This game needs a lot more content plus better graphics or maybe some voice actors.”
- “A minor complaint I have is the art style for the characters when I compare it to the demo, which gives me a different impression on how I thought it was gonna run; granted this is early access so it might be subject to change.”
atmosphere
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
33%
11%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive, slow-burning Lovecraftian horror that emphasizes mood and psychological unease over jump scares. Its unique art style and eerie, occult setting effectively complement the gameplay, creating a cohesive and captivating experience that resonates deeply with players. The blend of routine ship maintenance with subtle horror elements offers a distinctive, haunting atmosphere that lingers beyond gameplay.
- “The atmosphere feels deliberate and cohesive without being too horrific or shocking, and it does a great job of drawing you into the world without relying on cheap jumpscares - it's a slow burn, like Lovecraft's work.”
- “For players drawn to introspective, atmospheric experiences rather than pure mechanics or adrenaline, Sunken Engine delivers something rare: a sense of unease that lingers long after the last ship has left the dock and the sea has swallowed the sound of your tools.”
- “The overall style and atmosphere of the game was the thing that attracted me most; the gritty, disturbing, and almost dirty style captivated me.”
- “Even the smallest tasks carry a weight of atmosphere; cleaning grime from an engine part becomes an act of both maintenance and revelation, as if you’re peeling away the surface of something that shouldn’t be exposed.”
- “It’s not a horror game filled with jump scares or constant danger; rather, its power lies in atmosphere and implication, in the slow erosion of what feels safe.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The music in the game effectively enhances the Lovecraftian shipyard atmosphere, drawing comparisons to Obra Dinn's soundtrack but with a somewhat diluted quality. While some users feel the music may include AI-generated elements and occasionally sense something slightly off, overall the soundtrack is praised for its immersive and charming contribution to the game's ambiance.
- “From the visuals to the music, everything makes you feel like you're in the setting of an old-time shipyard of Lovecraftian horror.”
- “The music and audio cues help immerse you into the game.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the soundtrack fits perfectly, and the atmosphere kept me completely immersed.”
- “The music is reminiscent of the music in Obra Dinn, but watered down.”
- “Seems like some of the music might be AI generated too.”
- “I was starting to somewhat like it but I could never shake the feeling something was off with the music in the background the way things look after looking at it over and over.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game currently suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, including frequent freezes and an unfinished story, making stability a significant issue. Many users recommend waiting for a more polished, post-early access release before playing.
- “Way too many bugs, including a buggy interface.”
- “Really fun game but glitches quite often and every day my game freezes and forces me to restart the game to play the next day.”
- “Definitely too buggy and too early access right now, just wait until it reaches GA phase.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is widely criticized as tedious and repetitive, involving monotonous minigames like repairing wiring and hunting for hidden items with slow execution. While some find progression easier with upgrades, the overall experience feels like a grindy slog with little enjoyment, especially due to repetitive tasks and story pacing hidden in scattered notes. However, a few players noted the grinding wasn't always unpleasant, though certain achievements require hours of monotonous effort.
- “I'm not going to mince words, here in the game's current state, do not buy this game; it's a grindy slog fest with the same repetitive minigames, and the story is scattered in hundreds of notes on ships or interactions instead of being integrated into the gameplay.”
- “So story aside, you're left grinding the same minigames on ships at a certain point: repairing wiring, unscrewing and screwing in lightbulbs, searching for a bugged trash hidden behind a filing cabinet that requires janky methods to pick up, and doing the same number-pressing memory game with delays between sequences.”
- “As an achievement fanatic, it was very easy and quick to complete 99% of achievements except one that requires hours of monotonous grinding.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Optimization is mixed: some users report poor performance with stuttering, low FPS even on strong PCs, and bugs like items getting stuck, while others find the game runs smoothly and performs well for its price.
- “All in all, great little game, runs smoothly, and absolutely worth its current price.”
- “Bazaar is not working at all and oysters are getting stuck in the air, game is constantly stuttering even with good FPS and v-sync.”
- “Cool game but really poorly optimized, I'm running a strong PC and it still only manages 30-40 FPS at about 2K resolution and there aren't any settings to change.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes deep emotional themes of confronting decay and attempting to fix what may be irreparable, creating a thoughtful and poignant experience. However, some users found technical issues with controller sensitivity that disrupted gameplay and emotional immersion.
- “It’s a game about fixing things that perhaps were never meant to be repaired, about confronting decay both physical and emotional.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor aspect is highlighted through amusing user reactions, particularly finding entertainment in reading negative reviews, with some noting the comedic value brought by AI-generated content.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews clarify that the character designs in the game are not AI-generated, as developers have shared detailed creation processes for the new designs, distinguishing them from earlier AI-used elements like in-game paintings.